Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Too often, brand sponsorships stop at awareness when they could offer consumers something more. Jonnie Cahill, chief marketing officer of PepsiCo International Foods, says the strongest partnerships give the brand a credible role and make the experience better for the people taking part. His filter is straightforward: Has the brand earned the right to show up, and what can it add to the moment?
For Lay's and the FIFA World Cup, that meant building a WhatsApp watch-party community designed for 10 million people; signing up roughly a quarter of a million people a day, with two-to-three-minute dwell times per session. Cahill applies the same test to Doritos' Formula 1 push, built around a specific gap: F1 is the fastest-growing sport in the world, yet 99% of fans will never see a race live.
Drawing on more than two decades in marketing, including 12 years at Heineken, Cahill also breaks down how to evolve iconic brands without diluting them and where AI is speeding up creative work without replacing it.
Dig deeper ~How Coca-Cola is using AI and emotion in bid to win World Cup fans (adage.com/article/marketing-news-strategy/how-coca-cola-using-ai-and-emotion-bid-win-world-cup-fans) ~Why Unilever built a World Cup activation for influencers (adage.com/brand-marketing/sports/aa-unilever-world-cup-2026/) ~AI Marketing Playbook: How marketers are really using AI (adage.com/ai-marketing-playbook) ~Watch World Cup campaigns from brands (adage.com/brand-marketing/sports/aa-watch-world-cup-campaigns-curated-2026/)
Too often, brand sponsorships stop at awareness when they could offer consumers something more. Jonnie Cahill, chief marketing officer of PepsiCo International Foods, says the strongest partnerships give the brand a credible role and make the experience better for the people taking part. His filter is straightforward: Has the brand earned the right to show up, and what can it add to the moment?
For Lay's and the FIFA World Cup, that meant building a WhatsApp watch-party community designed for 10 million people; signing up roughly a quarter of a million people a day, with two-to-three-minute dwell times per session. Cahill applies the same test to Doritos' Formula 1 push, built around a specific gap: F1 is the fastest-growing sport in the world, yet 99% of fans will never see a race live.
Drawing on more than two decades in marketing, including 12 years at Heineken, Cahill also breaks down how to evolve iconic brands without diluting them and where AI is speeding up creative work without replacing it.
Dig deeper ~How Coca-Cola is using AI and emotion in bid to win World Cup fans (adage.com/article/marketing-news-strategy/how-coca-cola-using-ai-and-emotion-bid-win-world-cup-fans) ~Why Unilever built a World Cup activation for influencers (adage.com/brand-marketing/sports/aa-unilever-world-cup-2026/) ~AI Marketing Playbook: How marketers are really using AI (adage.com/ai-marketing-playbook) ~Watch World Cup campaigns from brands (adage.com/brand-marketing/sports/aa-watch-world-cup-campaigns-curated-2026/)
